Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft involved was a Grob G115E, registration G-BYWC, manufactured in 2000. It was equipped with a single Lycoming AEIO-360-B1F piston engine. The flight was conducted as training, with one crew member and one passenger on board. The commander held a military licence and was 63 years old. He had accumulated 4,900 hours of flying experience, of which 411 hours were on the G115E type. In the previous 90 days, he had flown 20 hours, and in the last 28 days, 6 hours.
History of the Flight
On 21 September 2006 at 1555 hours UTC, the aircraft was conducting a practice forced landing, performing a gliding approach to Runway 19 at Colerne Airfield, Wiltshire. The recorded wind conditions were 150 degrees at 18 knots, gusting between 25 and 30 knots. The pilot had flown the final approach at 80 knots. During the flare, the aircraft encountered a gust of wind, and the pilot was unable to arrest the rate of descent. The aircraft subsequently landed heavily on the right main wheel.
Damage and Outcome
After landing, the pilot brought the aircraft to a stop, cleared the runway, and shut down the engine. The hard landing resulted in damage to the nose landing gear, right main landing gear, trailing edge of the right aileron, and the right wing tip. Neither the pilot nor the passenger sustained any injuries.